Podcast Summary: Click Here – "Violence for the Sake of Violence"
Host: Dena Temple-Raston (Recorded Future News)
Release Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves into a disturbing evolution in online extremism: young people, feeling isolated and invisible, are eschewing ideological motivations in favor of "digital sadism"—committing violent acts online and off not for a cause or belief, but for fleeting validation and social visibility in their digital peer groups. The show traces how this new nihilistic wave, exemplified by groups like 764, is fundamentally different from previous generations of digital extremism, and explores possible intervention strategies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From Online Radicalization to Violence for Attention

• Profile: Tony Christopher Long ("Inactive") (00:02–02:22)

  • Long, a typical teen from an economically depressed town, is alleged to be part of "764", a group blending cyberstalking, extortion, animal abuse, and more for an online audience.
  • These acts are no longer about ideology—rather, it's about being seen:
    • "A violence that's not about changing the world, just about proving you exist inside of it." – Dena Temple-Raston, (02:22)

• Parallel to ISIS Recruitment

  • Recounts an interview with Abdullahi, a Somali American teen from Minnesota (04:24–05:46), who was attracted to ISIS propaganda not for ideology, but for belonging and meaning.

• Shift in Recruitment Tactics (05:55–07:45)

  • Today, recruitment is via encrypted channels rather than public social media, and the appeal is not ideological but social and economic.
    • "Now it begins online and then breaks into the real world." – Dena Temple-Raston (07:19)

2. Digital Nihilism: Online as Both Arena and Ideology

• The ‘Com’ and Violence-as-a-Service (08:13–10:25)

  • "Violence-as-a-service" groups offer criminal acts for hire, run like startups. Acts include swatting, firebombings, and even murder, all for money or the thrill:
    • "'It's the fun, I guess.'" – Yuki, sim swapper (10:30)
    • "Yuki and his crew operated like a startup, complete with a telegram channel called Brick Squad, where you could literally buy acts of violence using crypto." – Dena Temple-Raston (09:35)

• Economic and Psychological Roots (10:41)

  • Many members are teens who grew up watching families struggle post-2008; the digital world provides agency and, crucially, attention.

3. Exploiting Vulnerability in Isolated, Marginalized Youth

• COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact (12:15–14:44)
  • Increasing numbers of isolated kids, especially from underserved areas, were drawn online where predators lurked.
  • The process of "love bombing" and grooming draws vulnerable kids—from identity-seeking LGBTQ youth to insecure teenagers—into toxic, violent communities.
    • "It's not an Internet addiction. It is a family bond between them and their fellow gang members." – Allison Nixon (14:31)

4. Prevention and Intervention

• UK’s ‘Prevent’ Program (14:44–15:48)

  • Early, non-punitive interventions such as pop-up warnings when searching for DDoS-for-hire services have proven cost-effective in deterring youth from criminal activity.
    • "Prevent, with a very small budget...made a measurable impact on global ddos. And that is in a peer reviewed academic paper." – Allison Nixon (15:25)

• Controversies and Lessons Learned (15:48–16:29)

  • Some preventative programs were criticized for over-policing and profiling, but early, supportive intervention (rather than punishment) remains key.

5. The Gamification of Violence

• Nihilistic Extremism as a Competition (17:11–18:02)

  • Violence is now "gamified": kids keep scoreboard rankings for attacks, making violence a quest for points rather than a pursuit of meaning.
    • "So much of this is really about trying to gamify the whole kind of experience...where they almost look like they're something out of a video game." – Milo Comerford (17:14)

• “Levelling Up” Not Ideology (17:35–18:02)

  • The lack of an ideological foundation changes how interventions must be designed: less about "deprogramming", more about changing digital trajectories and interrupting cycles of violence.

6. The New Model for Intervening

• Bystanders and “Pre-Crime Social Work” (18:27–19:08)

  • Promising approaches involve supporting bystanders to recognize early signs and refer youth for help—seeking to redirect, not punish.
    • "It's about knowing who to speak to and also providing pathways for referral that aren't just picking up the phone and getting someone arrested, but rather providing them with the support they need." – Milo Comerford (18:27)

• Summary of Key Evolution

  • "ISIS radicalized through belief, sim swappers through greed, and 764 and groups like it through emptiness and the performance of it." – Dena Temple-Raston (19:08)
  • The solution: intervene early, disrupt digital peer validation, and offer authentic belonging and support before points for cruelty start accruing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Nihilism thrives in a context where people feel politically abandoned." – Milo Comerford (06:58)
• "Online is the ideology." – Milo Comerford (07:49)
• "Pain itself became currency." – Dena Temple-Raston (10:41)
• "It's the fun, I guess." – Yuki, sim swapper (10:30)
• "It's not an Internet addiction. It is a family bond between them and their fellow gang members." – Allison Nixon (14:31)
• "What you are going to be able to do is learn from the abuse sector." – Milo Comerford (18:02)
• "When hurting people becomes a way to be seen, the answer isn’t louder crackdowns or longer sentences. It’s earlier than that..." – Dena Temple-Raston (19:08)

Important Timestamps

• 00:02–02:22 – Introduction to Tony Long and the 764 group; setting the new context of “digital sadism.”
• 04:07–05:46 – Comparison to ISIS’s draw for overlooked youth; insights from Abdullahi.
• 06:47–08:13 – Milo Comerford on the migration from real-world to online-first extremism.
• 08:13–10:25 – “Violence-as-a-service” and commercialization of digital crime via teenagers.
• 12:15–14:44 – Pandemic effects: more young, vulnerable people drawn into these communities.
• 14:44–16:29 – Prevention: successful interventions like the UK’s Prevent, and their limitations.
• 17:11–18:02 – Gamification of violence; scoreboard systems and rapid “recruitment.”
• 18:27–19:08 – Evolving interventions: bystanders, trajectory changes, not just mind-changing.

Episode Tone

The narrative is urgent but empathetic, focused on the underlying social and psychological drivers rather than pathologizing victims or glorifying perpetrators. The tone is investigative and personal, often opting for the voices and lived experiences of interviewees, allowing nuance and context.

Takeaway

The digital landscape has produced a new form of youth extremism—one that isn’t motivated by ideology or greed alone, but by a vacuum of belonging and a desperate need to exist in the eyes of peers. Interventions, the podcast argues, must move upstream: into digital spaces, classrooms, and communities, prioritizing early engagement and authentic connection over punishment.